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Patented Mav 5, I868.

E. R. MORRISON.

Casing Tobacco.v

YNYPEIERS, PMOTULITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it'known that I, ENOCII R. MORRISON, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsyl-.

.itttrsgaunt first. a

Letters Patent No. 78,117, dated May 19, .1868

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR GASING'TOBAOGO.

dlgr tlgrhnlt rrierrrfi it in flgesr ,itttirrs am: tmh milking part at tip same.

vania,'have' invented a certain new and usful Mcthod for Casing Tobacco, oreovering the leaves with the sweetening-substan'ce; andthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same..referenee being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which f Figure 1 represents a perspective view of one form of machine which I use for this purpose; and it con sists of a frame in which is hung a large hollow cylinder, in which the leaves of tobacco and the sweeteningcompound are put for coating, and the trough or "platform for receiving the tobacco after the process of easing has been performed. i I t I Figure 2 shows a section of the frame through the revolving cylinder, showing the action of the leaves in the cylinder while they are undergoing'the process of casmgor sweetening.

The object of my invention is to so conduct the manipulations as to save room, time, labor, material, and

expense in the process of sweetening, or what is termed by manufacturers casingtobaeco, and making a much better article than is done by the old process of sprinkling and manipulating in vats. Q

For this purpose I construct a large cylindrical receiver, with an opening, and a close-fitting lid'in the periphery, to be taken out for putting in the tobacco-leaves and the sweetening-compound, the same being hung on journals and supported in a frame, which is provided with a vat or casing-platform underneath, to receive the contents on after the process of the mixing and'easing is completed.

To enable others to make and use myinvention, I will describe it more in detail, referring to the drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

I make a frame, A, of. any suitable or desired dimensions, of posts A-A A 'A, connected together with,

horizontal, side-timbers B B, and cross-ties C C, the lower portion of the frame being plank, forming a tight floor, platform, or vat, D, which is elevated to a convenient height forw'orking at easily to remove the tobacco after it is emptied upon it. ,I 1

On the twotop side-timbers B J5 are secured journal-boxes b b, in which is hung the revolving cylindric al receiver E, which may be made of any desired dimensions, both in widtli'and'diameter. It may bemade with four, six, eight, twelve, or more sides, or round, as shown in the drawings.

The cylindrical form is as good as any other, and as cheaply made. Theinside surface being smooth, may

- b'eprovidcd with'a sufiicient number of ribs, or half-round projections, e e e c, to prevent the leaves oftobacco from sliding in a mass on the lower portion of the cylinder as it is being slowly revolved to case over and moisten the leaves with the sweetening-substance, which is usu in such proportions as the different grades of tobacco require.

4 The receiver E may be-put in motion and operated by having a pulley, F, on one end of the shaft which it hangs on, and a ban,d,f, or belt to connect it with a counter-pulley, G, to be turned by a crank-handle, or by any convenient-motive -power.

' The modes operands ofcasing tobacco by my method, as above described, is very easily understoodfzind may be done by boys, or any ordinary hands, not requiring skill, as is the casejby the old process. It is simply to remove the cover I from the receiver E, put in a given quantity of tobacco-leaves, and also a given quantity of the liquid compound, close up the receiver, and rotate it for a short time, and every portion of the'contents will become thoroughly coated in a perfectly uniform manner, when the lid'I is taken out and thecylinder turned so as to empty the contents on to the vat or platform D, from whenceit canbe taken at pleasure, packed, and disposed of. After-the cylinder Eris emptied, another batch' can be put in immediately, and the not in the least interfere with the removing of that which is done. i i

In order tocontrast the difference between my method of casing tobacco and the old and onlymode in practice'heretofore of manipulating it for the purpose, I will briefly describe the common practice, which is to lid put in place and secured, so that no time needbe lost in clearing the vat D, as the process of easing does ally composed of sugar, or honey and licorice,-

sweetening-compound being prepared and put into the receiver hot, it almost i build a casing-platform 0r vat, commonly spreading over quite a large space, and is-usually-lined with zinc. A

single layer of the tobacco-leaves is spread over the platform. The sweetening-substance being'preparcd, it is then sprinkled upon the leaves with a broom, which process'requircs much practice and skill to distribute the coinpound evenly, so as to make it, all alike, as a given weight of tobacco requires a given quantity of the compound; and if the leaves are not all wet, or saturated, the tobacco will not-be of the same flavor, and if more of the sweetening-substance is put on than is absorbedby the leaves, it is lost. By this course ot' procedure, it is necessary that the tobacco should lie till the leaves have taken up all they can, and the dry spots become moist, and to facilitate this part of the process, it often becomes necessary to fork'up and manipulate the'mass in-the vat or on the casing-platform, so that there may be a greater uniformity in the taste of the different grades of tobaecoa matter of great importance tomanufacturcrs, so much so that men qualify themselves and become expertsat sprinkling tohacco. I

The advantages of my simple, cheap, and cfllcicntmethod, as above described, over the old one of manipulation, may be summed up as follows, viz I My method, when carried out, does not cost more than one-half as much ,as the old casing method by the use of the vat. Itdoes not occupy er'rcquire more than one-Fourth of the space or rooui to work it, Any ordinary man, or boy of twelve 01" fourteen years of age (without regard to race or color) can work it. More than five times the quantity'of tobacco can be prepared and eased in a day, and every batch made perfcc tly uniform in taste and quality, and at least ten per cent. of the sweetening-substance saved which is rosted bythc old method. The nstantly saturates the whole mass.

The sweetening-compound is usually composed of sugar andlicoriee, of about equal parts, from twoto four pounds to the gallon of the liquids Honey may be used in the place of the sugar, if desired.

Fifty pounds of leaf-tobacco will absorb about four gallons of the compound, which is of about the same consistence as honey or thin molasses, which, by my new method of manipulating, is all tal en up and absorbed within two minutes from the time it is put in with the tobacco and the receiver put in motiod.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The method of easing tobacco, by means of a hollow revolving vessel, rece on ,a shaft, journals, or rollers, the receiver being made of any required shape set forth.

iver, or its equivalent, working or dimensions, for the purposes n. MORR'iSON.

Witnesses:

J. B. \lioomtnrr, Geo. G. GREEN. 

